Chapter 2

“How could you say that, Your Highness? You are husband and wife. No one is subject to the other.” Willow was quite displeased by my words.

I turned to her, and Willow hunched her shoulders. Perhaps my gaze was too cold. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed Afton turning pale.

She immediately ran toward him and took out her handkerchief. While she wiped the sweat on his forehead, she rebuked the servants standing by the side. “The sun is blazing hot. Why didn’t you provide shade for His Highness? How are you going to explain yourselves to Her Highness if anything happened to him?”

Then, she cast Afton a look of pity and reached out, as though she wanted to touch his face. At the same time, she softened her tone. “Your Highness, why stand in the sun outside the palace gate? Don’t you worry. Her Highness will surely take care of this for you.”

Afton gently pushed Willow’s hands away and gave her a soft glance, unlike the one he gave me.

His gaze would always be cold and full of annoyance toward me.

When he turned toward me, he put on a mocking smile before straightening his back further. “If you’re here to convince me to send Melinda and her daughter away, please leave and give up on such a thought. Melinda wasn’t born with a silver spoon, unlike you. Her life has been full of hardship, and she has no one else to depend on apart from me,” he said with an air of indifference.

“You are a woman yourself. Why are you treating Melinda with such hostility? His Majesty might say that she is the daughter of an impeached official, but she is a woman of little means. I’m certain that His Majesty is merely doing this to defend your honor.”

“He speaks truly, Your Highness. Why must you be so uncharitable? You have always said that you care about His Highness. Therefore, you should be prioritizing his wishes and likes. Besides, His Highness is right. Melinda is a pitiful soul!” Willow agreed.

Afton’s gaze turned even colder as he looked at me. I could even see the disgust in his eyes.

He soon turned his face away and refused to look at me any longer. It was as if I were some dirty object. “Arwen, even a servant is more mature than you are.”

Hearing Afton’s words, Willow smiled shyly.

When she saw how I still refused to say anything, she appeared displeased. Willow opened her mouth, as though she wanted to say something, but I simply fixed my eyes on Afton.

I had loved this man for most of my life.

At this moment, he was staring at me like he wanted to skin me alive. It was as if I had murdered his father, though I had done no such thing. Instead, I had killed his wife.

It must have been hard for him to stay beside me quietly. He had been lying in wait for a chance for revenge for ten years.

Willow regarded me as her enemy as well. She grew up with me, and I had protected her all this while. Even though she was my servant-in-name, everyone in the palace knew that she was something like a sister to me.

I had saved her from freezing to death in the snow and protected her for two lifetimes, but she fed me slow-acting poison for a man. Then, with my life at stake, she deceived my father and brother to the point that they lost their composure. She even conspired with Afton to kill them, all because Afton despised me and did not want me to live a happy life.

A mocking sneer formed on my lips as I clenched my fists.

These two were my sworn enemies, and I wanted them hung, drawn, and quartered.

However, I did my best to smother the rage in my heart.

They could not die so easily.

Just then, a woman in white ran over in tears and held Afton’s arm. “Lord Springfield, don’t beg for His Majesty’s mercy anymore. My heart bleeds for you when you do this. I would rather die than watch you hurt yourself like this. I admit to my sins, and I am willing to accept whatever punishment His Majesty wants to exact on me, so long as you aren’t affected. Then, I can rest in peace.”

With great pity in his heart, Afton wiped away Melinda’s tears and cooed at her.

When he spoke to me, his voice was cold. “Arwen, I will not let Melinda and her daughter go. Give up. You were the one who took me from Melinda’s hands. This is what you owe her. You must repay her.”

Willow started pleading for my grace as well. “Your Highness, just let His Highness be with Melinda. No matter what, you are his wife. You must be considerate of your husband and make sure he has descendants!”

My cold gaze landed on Willow, Afton, and finally, on Melinda.

This was my first time seeing her.

She was not outstanding in terms of beauty. At most, she could only be considered pleasant to the eye.

When she looked at me, she did so timidly and with tears in her eyes. She seemed like an easily startled, fragile bird. I knew that she would die if I just gave the order.

Yet, this fragile, helpless woman became the spark that ruined the royal family.

As I remembered all that had happened in the previous timeline, I shuddered.

Once, I had foolishly stood beside Afton at the palace gate and forced my father to rescind his order.

How sad must my father have been? This time, I would do that no more.

I chuckled and stepped away from Willow. “If you wish to beg for mercy, continue doing so. I will not stop you from getting together.”